Whispers in the Dark
by bluelily3
Summary: The night before The Tournament of Power, Bulma wrestles with an impending feeling of doom. Is it really okay to let Vegeta leave? One-Shot inspired by the new closing scene on Super.


It started to pour down rain as she left the building. She jogged to her car, grateful for the return of her thin, flexible body. Everything was back the way it should be. Except that it wasn't. She had had her baby (in a strange way, but no pain was involved and that was a plus) but Vegeta was leaving tomorrow. Knowing him, it would be before the sun even rose. She thought that she'd have more time with him. He was always going somewhere, getting hurt, getting stronger. That was the way it was with Vegeta, and Bulma was used to it. But for some reason, she felt uneasy. She didn't know all the details about this tournament, but she did know that Goku was hiding something from the both of them. It was an easy guess to assume that the universe was in danger again. She couldn't remember the last time it hadn't been. After Buu? Even then she knew there was something else coming. She felt safe with Vegeta and her friends, but that didn't mean there wasn't always a sense of foreboding in the back of her mind. It had curled up back there, like some sort of faithful dark cat since she was 16 years old. Since she'd met Goku. The Saiyan had brought a lot of good to her life, but he had danger written on his forehead since he was a baby. All Saiyans did. Especially her own proud prince.

At the thought of her husband, her stomach fluttered. It felt so empty now. She sat in the car, warming it up. The darkness had roiled in quickly and her thoughts couldn't help but get a little dark as well. She'd been at the CC Headquarters for a little more than an hour, but now her body longed to be home. She could feel a deep maternal need for her new baby well up inside.

"Outside too." She whispered to herself, glancing down at her ruined business suit. The warmth had been welcome at first, but now it clung to her skin, making her feel as cold and clammy as a grave. She rolled her eyes at the thought. _What is wrong with you? Stop being so melodramatic. You just had your baby, and everything is going to be fine._ When Vegeta wasn't in her presence, she sometimes scolded herself the way he would when she felt like she was being silly. She needed to get home to him. What if he had left already, without saying goodbye? She had left little Bra in his care, but he could have easily given her to her parents, or Trunks. Vegeta wasn't one for goodbyes. Suddenly, her foot grinded down on the gas. _He's gone already, I'm almost sure of it. He's never said goodbye to me, not in all the years I've known him. When he leaves, he just...leaves. Husband or not._ She found herself racing through the streets. The city was dark, the sky a deep blue, like the only color he was fond of wearing. He had worn street clothes for her for the last 2 months of her pregnancy, refusing to leave the compound. Could he really still be there? _Please...Vegeta. Please be there. I need you._

She leaned forward in the car, willing it to go faster. Her lips were in a tight line, and her eyes narrowed. The rain was pounding harder. She knew what would happen if she tried to go too fast. Her foot eased off the gas a bit. _Bulma, calm down. Your family is waiting for you. They need you as much as you need them. Don't do anything stupid._ Her reprimand to herself sounded like Vegeta's voice as well as her own. _Slow down. He's still there. He has to be. I need him to be._

When she pulled into the garage and turned off the motor, she slumped back in the seat, her heart pounding. She listened. Nothing could be heard in the garage, but for some reason, she felt almost like she could _feel_ him. Him and the new baby. She wished fervently at that moment that she could read ki like he could. She let her breathing slow down, then winced as she climbed out of the car. Her need for the baby was growing more urgent. Her chest felt like it was going to explode. Leaving the car un-capsuled, she made her way out of the dark side door and into the warm confines of her house. The first thing she did was grab an old bathrobe off the chair in the kitchen. It wasn't hers, but it wasn't Vegeta's either. He hardly ever wore his; comfort almost being an enemy to him. She buried her face in the folds around her neck. It was her dad's. That was okay then. Her milk stains would just add to the coffee and various other stains.

Bulma stopped short when she heard a baby crying. Her heart thumped painfully, and there was a new rush of warmth (RIP bathrobe), but after a moment or two she recognized the sound of the TV. She shuffled into the living room quietly and saw Trunks there, half asleep on the couch. She smiled and swept a blanket over him. Her eyes stayed on him for a little while. He looked so much like his father when he slept. She turned down the TV, then made her way to the stairs. She tried to climb them fast, but it was difficult somehow. She really wanted to get to Bra, but...what if Vegeta was gone? When would she see him again? And how could he leave so easily after being here for so long, plainly worrying about her and the baby? Could he really just shed the two of them off like soiled clothing? He had done it many times before, and she wasn't sure she could take it this time. Her heart pounded an overload of hormones into her system. _Damn this estrogen._ She thought. _It's already driving me crazy. Maybe it is best that he leaves. I can't allow myself any girly meltdowns when he's here._ She remembered how wide his eyes got the last time she'd felt like this. No one in the whole universe had ever gotten so upset about the last glob of peanut butter. Not even the fancy specialty kind she had been craving so badly. She had started to cry, and she could still see the look of panicked bewilderment on Vegeta's face. He had stood there in the kitchen, stalk still, as if some dark god had wrapped its hand around his groin and he couldn't move for any force in hell. Bulma always had that effect on him when she cried. Which was way she rarely did. Not around him, anyway.

At the moment, she felt tears burning behind her eyes, threatening to flow out. It really bothered her that she didn't know whether to feel sad or happy, and found herself stuck between an unsettling limbo of both. Before she could question yet again just _what the hell_ was wrong with her, she reached the top of the stairs and pressed the button to lift up the door to their master bedroom. _Please be there_ rang like a mantra in her head, over and over.

Against the far wall, the blue lights of the city shone dimly on their bed, and it was not empty. A rush of relief whipped through her so fast she had to grab on to the arm of the chair. She was tempted to sit in it, but she wanted desperately to get over to the bed. Wrapped in a cocoon of dark blankets, lay Vegeta and their new daughter. Both were silent and motionless but for the soft sound of their breath. When she moved closer, she noticed a dim blue glow coming from Vegeta. He was in his quietest from of Super Saiyan Blue. She didn't even know that it was possible to be only in part of that form. His hair was still black, but a blue light outlined the tips and she wondered what his eyes looked like underneath. She sat at the end of the bed and let down the robe, then pulled off her wet shirt. Her bra underneath was soaked, and she ripped this off as well, letting if fall to the carpet. The dull sound caused Vegeta to shift in bed, and right away she knew he was awake. It was still early in the night, and she sat quietly for a moment, watching the rain slide down the windows.

"You're still here." She whispered into the semi-darkness.

For that, she got a soft grunt from him.

"I told you I wouldn't leave until the morning…" His voice was thick with sleep. She heard the faint whimper of Bra, then felt Vegeta's warm hand on her bare back.

"Here. Take her... She needs you." He whispered the last part very quietly. Her body turned around almost without her volition, and the tiny baby was in her arms in a second. Vegeta pulled away slowly, and she wished she could see the expression on his face. Bra latched onto her breast like it was the first time, and she felt her body instantly relax. She stared into the darkness for several minutes, enjoying the quiet sound of the rain and wind. Vegeta's breathing was still slow, but she could tell he was still awake.

"Hey…" she whispered.

"Hn…?"

"I'm sorry."

He stirred, sitting up.

"For what?" His voice was soft, spiked with bewilderment.

"For thinking you had left. I really did, you know. I...don't know why." He was quiet for a moment, then she felt his hand on her again, this time, on her leg.

"Come here." He beckoned. She smiled into the dark, then kicked off her pants, still clutching Bra close to her. The little girl was sucking like the world would end. She banished that thought almost as soon as it entered her mind. But she must have gasped or something, but Vegeta noticed. He could pick up on her mood, no matter how subtle. She nestled against his naked chest, and before she knew it, she was crying again. She tried to wipe the tears before he felt them against his skin, but it was too late. She felt his stomach tense up underneath her.

"Hey…" His voice remained calm, almost like he had expected this.

"What's the matter?" His hands ran through her short hair, his fingers pulling through it softly. He was being so gentle and so sweet...her tears only fell harder.

"I...I don't know...I'm just...happy?"

"Tch...These are happy tears? Somehow, I don't believe you." He pulled her close to him, and she felt the baby make a soft coo of appreciation. The three of them nestled warmly together in the dark and were quiet for a long time. Finally, when she knew he was on the edge of sleep, she whispered.

"I'm scared."

His body moved away from her a bit, and his face was inches from hers. His eyes held a blue glow in them, and she knew it wasn't from the city lights.

"Bulma…" He stared at her for a moment longer, then sighed.

"What could you possibly be afraid of?" He sounded annoyed and curious at the same time.

"I don't…"

"If you say 'I don't know' again, I'm leaving early." His mouth crooked up in the corner at this, and a small laugh rose to the surface. Only to be immediately pushed down when she shouted into the dark.

"No!"

She felt Bra writhe against her chest and start to cry. Vegeta pulled away from her.

"What...What the hell is the matter with you? I didn't mean it, woman." Bulma was too busy quieting down the baby to answer. She patted her and whispered her name. After she had burped her, Bra calmed down and curled against her chest, asleep again. She looked up slowly, almost shyly, to Vegeta. His eyes stared back, dark and knowing.

"You don't want me to leave, do you?" The tone he used sounded dangerous, and Bulma steeled herself.

"No, Vegeta. That's not true. I want you to go… I'm not… I would never stop you from a fight...you know that." But she had said all of this too fast, covering her true feelings. A deep longing for him to stay for a long time was welling up inside her, and it was getting harder and harder for her to fight back down.

"Bullshit." He whispered. He moved further away from her, and she was silent.

"Please…" Her eyes burned with tears again. "Vegeta." His name ended on a sob, and she felt like banging her head against the wall. _What are you doing? Don't push him away! You know how much he hates this sort of thing! Control yourself, you idiot!_ But she couldn't make it stop.

"Bulma…"

"I'm sorry! Dammit… I'll just... " She threw back the blanket and tried to sit up with what little strength she had left. Whis hadn't "poofed" all of her problems away, and she had been bleeding all day. She felt a bit dizzy with the effort.

"Bulma." He said again. There was no annoyance in his voice, only warmth. His hands reached for her again, and she couldn't resist him as he pulled her to his chest once more.

"Shh…Calm down…You're not going anywhere." She felt his fingers in her hair again. Bra fluttered against her chest, her tiny mouth making sucking noises. Vegeta sighed deeply, and she knew he had more to say.

"To tell you the truth…" He laughed mockingly. "I don't want to leave, either." He let the words hang in the air for a bit.

"What?" She whispered. "Really?"

"Yes, really." He said irritably. "Kakarot sort of forced me into this one. A big part of me...well, it doesn't really give a damn about this blasted tournament. I mean, I was _just in one_ for hell's sake. But…" He stroked her hair some more, and she could tell he was thinking.

"Bulma… He's up to something. They are hiding something from me. I get the feeling that…"

"We're in danger again, aren't we?" Bulma whispered.

"I think so." It was quiet for a moment more before he spoke again. "Dammit, Kakarot. He doesn't know how to leave well enough alone, does he?" Bulma felt her whole body chuckle.

"No, he does not. That's a big, resounding NO." Vegeta laughed at this, and she loved the feel of the vibration against her chest. She moved her head up, and looked into his eyes.

"Do you know that...you're in your god form a little?"

"Hn…" His mouth curved again, and he moved close to her, pressing his lips against hers. The kiss was firm and warm, and she felt her body melting into his. With his hands and lips, he managed to chase all of her fears away. He was telling her that everything would be alright.

Right before she fell asleep, she heard him whisper in her ear.

"I won't leave you. Not forever…"


End file.
